Commission approves rezoning for Woodbury Pike property after owner agrees to site‑plan controls

Rutherford County’s Regional Planning Commission on June 9 approved a rezoning request for 3612 Woodbury Pike, changing the property from residential medium density to commercial services. The owner and staff told the commission the application followed county zoning enforcement after on-site automotive repair activity was discovered.

The decision matters because the property had been used for vehicle repairs without zoning permission; rezoning was approved with staff conditions that require an engineered site plan and compliance with buffering, parking and environmental protections before expanded activity may begin.

Planning staff said a complaint in August 2024 prompted inspection and meetings with the owner. “The property was being used for automotive repair,” staff said when introducing the case, and the owner told commissioners the tenant had operated repair activity for nearly two years without his permission. The owner, present at the hearing, said he ordered the tenant to stop after the county notified him but sought rezoning so any future activity would be “the legal way and the professional way” and would meet county standards.

Staff noted the property’s conceptual plan shows a body shop, paint booth and office; it would require an engineered site plan, traffic and stormwater work as needed, and appropriate buffers and screening. Commissioners asked about the distance of the buildings from the road and wetland/stream buffers; staff said the applicant had submitted a TDEC stream determination and had revised materials to show wetlands and buffers and would address soils, erosion control and pavement design at the site‑plan stage.

No members of the public spoke at the hearing; the owner and staff answered commissioner questions about cleanup, building permits and whether the currently built structures had permits for personal storage. Staff emphasized that, unlike the prior case discussed that evening, this property did not have a preexisting conditional use permit, so activity would be limited until an approved site plan was submitted.

The motion to approve the rezoning passed on a roll call vote (6 in favor, 4 opposed), with the commission recording conditions in staff comments; the planning staff said it will review any site plan submissions to ensure compliance with parking, buffering, stormwater and performance standards before development or expanded operations occur.